French Managers of Crans-Montana Bar Under Criminal Investigation
1st January 2026
Last modified on January 4th, 2026
Around 40 people died in the blaze at the Constellation Bar in the Swiss resort as New Year Celebrations were underway. UPDATED
The French managers of Le Constellation are suspected of having committed homicide by negligence, causing bodily harm by negligence and arson by negligence, said the prosecutors’ office in the canton of Valais.
In a statement, Beatrice Pilloud, the lead prosecutor in the canton of Valais, said investigators were looking into whether the venue’s acoustic foam was “the cause of the problem”, as well as “whether it complies with regulations”.
It is believed sparklers attached to champagne bottle started the fire as they were held close to a ceiling.
The Swiss President, Guy Parmelin has described it as “one of the worst tragedies our country has ever experienced.”
The fire broke out at around 01.30 local time and footage circulating on social media showed a fire burning at a bar where New Year’s Eve celebrations had been taking place.
The Valais attorney general, Beatrice Pilloud, said “We currently assume that the fire was caused by sparklers attached to champagne bottles that came too close to the ceiling.
“This caused the fire to spread quickly. Initial evidence has been secured at the scene.”
She added that they are “pursuing several hypotheses; no scenario is being ruled out”.
Investigators are looking at why it spread so quickly.
The attorney general said many witnesses had been interviewed and telephones which were found will be analysed.
The forensic institute in Zurich has already been given a mandate to carry out an investigation to determine the cause of the fire.
Presidet Parmelin said the authorities are carrying out investigations into “the exact circumstances” of this incident.
“We owe it to victims”, their families and all Swiss citizens, he said.
A “tragedy of such a scale” must not happen again, he said.
The bar was popular with 16 to 25 year olds.
The cantonal and municipal police, the fire department and several helicopters were deployed to the scene.
13 helicopters, 42 ambulances and 3 “disaster trucks” were mobilised.
150 responders were sent to the scene.
So far 113 of those injured have been formally identified including 71 Swiss citizens, 14 French and 11 Italians.
Swiss police say formal identification for those killed is continuing.
A large number of those hurt have been to flown to major burns units across Switzerland and some have been transferred to hospitals in other countries.
The victims are from several different nationalities, but it will take time for the authorities to identify those involved.
No arrests have been made and the investigation will determine whether the building met the required safety standards.
A helpline for families of those affected has been set up.
#Switzerland | Several people were killed and others injured after an explosion rocked a bar in the luxurious alpine ski resort of Crans-Montana, Swiss police said.
A spokesperson for the cantonal police said that the explosion was of unknown origin but confirmed multiple… pic.twitter.com/vzDcSNaasS
— Deccan Chronicle (@DeccanChronicle) January 1, 2026
Resort Statement
Dear visitors, friends, and partners of Crans-Montana,
It is with profound sadness and deep emotion that we address the tragedy that occurred in our resort on the night of December 31st to January 1st.
Our thoughts are with the victims and their families, and we extend our gratitude to all the individuals and services who responded to and continue to provide assistance.
For any families seeking information, the Cantonal Police have set up a helpline: 0848 112 117. A psychological support unit has also been established at the Valais Hospital.
The resort cancelled two concerts due to take place on 1st and 2nd January.
On Friday the Director of Tourism for Crans-Montana, Bruno Huggler, spoke to BBC Radio’s The World at One about the tragedy and the impact on the resort.
The interview with Mt Huggler starts at 14:56 – The World at One.
Eyewitness Accounts
An eyewitness to the fire at Le Constellation told the BBC how he broke into the burning building to try to save people inside.
“We heard a big explosion and after that we saw a lot of smoke,” he says.
“I thought that my little brother was inside so I came and I tried to break the window to help people to exit.”
He says once inside he saw people “burning from head to foot, no clothes anymore”, adding: “It was very shocking.”
The man says firefighters and doctors took over but he tried to help where he could, offering water and clothes to the injured, including giving his jacket to a man with burn injuries.
Swiss President Guy Parmelin says “a moment of joy turned into a tragedy that has touched the whole of Switzerland and abroad.”
International Reaction
The Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni says she’s following the situation closely to hear if any Italian nationals were involved, while her foreign minister has offered the use of the burns unit at Milan hospital and emergency services personnel from the nearby Aosta Valley.
The Italian Foreign Ministry says 16 Italian nationals are currently missing.
A spokesperson for the ministry says between 12 and 15 others have been located in hospital and are currently receiving treatment.
Three of them have suffered “severe burns” and will be transported to Italy.
French President Emmanuel Macron has also pledged the “full solidarity of France and our fraternal support” to the neighbouring country.
The French foreign ministry said eight of its citizens were missing and that it could not rule out that French nationals were among the dead.
French media reported that at least two of the injured were French nationals.
So far there is no reason to believe any UK nationals are involved but many bodeis remain unidentified.
The UK authorities are on stand-by:
Swiss emergency services are responding to a fire in Crans-Montana, with nationals from multiple countries likely affected. We continue to monitor the situation. Whilst we have not been approached for assistance, our staff stand ready to support British nationals abroad 24/7.
If…
— UK in Switzerland 🇬🇧🇨🇭🇱🇮 (@UKEmbassyBerne) January 1, 2026
In solidarity with the people of Switzerland following the tragedy in Crans-Montana, our Irish flag flies at half mast today in Berne. Our thoughts are with all of those affected. pic.twitter.com/D9ZUI3N0Rn
— Embassy of Ireland, Switzerland (@IrlEmbBerne) January 2, 2026
The US Embassy in Bern said it was “deeply saddened” by the tragic blaze.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with those who lost their lives, those who were injured, and their loved ones,” it said.
Crans-Montana: The Resort
Crans-Montana is in the French-speaking part of the Swiss canton of Valais.
It lies on a plateau above the city of Sierre at an altitude of 1,500m.
It has 147kms of marked ski runs.
The resort is well- known to PlanetSKI and we visited last season:
We plan to return in March of this year.
We have aposted about what’s on offer for this winter:
Crans-Montana, Switzerland. Image c/o Dan Charlish
Around three million people visit Crans-Montana every year, far more than its local population of 10,500.
From November 2023 to October 2024, Swiss travellers accounted for 66% of hotel stays, according to Crans-Montana Tourism & Congress Committee data.
This was followed by tourists from:
- France (7.3%)
- Italy (3.7%)
- Britain (3.5%)
- The United States (2.8%)
- The Gulf states (2.4%)
- Belgium (2.1%)
- Germany (2.0%)
The lift system in the resort is owned by the US company, Vail Resorts:
Vail Resorts manages 42 mountain areas including Crans-Montana and Andermatt-Sedrun in Switzerland.
Its Epic Pass lift ticket is offered at many more ski areas across North America, South America, Europe, Asia and Oceania.
Crans-Montana, Switzerland. Image © PlanetSKI
The resort has attracted a long list of celebrities, including James Bond actor Roger Moore who lived in the resort until his death in 2017.
Model Claudia Schiffer, actor Hugh Grant and former French President Nicolas Sarkozy have been regular visitors.
Identifying the Victims
The priority is now to identify the people who have died so that their bodies can be returned rapidly to their families.
Swiss authorities have said that naming the victims or establishing a definitive death toll would take time because many of the bodies were badly burned.
“All this work needs to be done because the information is so terrible and sensitive that nothing can be told to the families unless we are 100 percent sure,” said Mathias Reynard, president of the government of canton Valais.
Experts were using dental and DNA samples to identify the victims, he said.
The injured have been transported to various hospitals across Switzerland, including Sion, Lausanne, Bern, Geneva and Zurich.
In Sion, 60 people are being looked after; in Lausanne 22 patients are currently being cared for, while Zurich has admitted over a dozen burn victims.
More to follow…
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